XIAM007

Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Friday 14 February 2014

1 in 4 Americans unaware Earth circles Sun... -

1 in 4 Americans unaware Earth circles Sun... - 



Americans are enthusiastic about the promise of science but lack basic knowledge of it, with one in four unaware that the Earth revolves around the Sun, said a poll out Friday.

The survey included more than 2,200 people in the United States and was conducted by the National Science Foundation.

Ten questions about physical and biological science were on the quiz, and the average score -- 6.5 correct -- was barely a passing grade.

Just 74 percent of respondents knew that the Earth revolved around the Sun, according to the results released at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago.

Fewer than half (48 percent) knew that human beings evolved from earlier species of animals.

The result of the survey, which is conducted every two years, will be included in a National Science Foundation report to President Barack Obama and US lawmakers.

One in three respondents said science should get more funding from the government.

Nearly 90 percent said the benefits of science outweigh any dangers, and about the same number expressed interest in learning about medical discoveries.

Read more - 
http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/6e49b254-fc12-4176-8ab6-c6146611c372

800-Pound Runaway Snowball Slams Into College Dorm, Knocks In Wall -

800-Pound Runaway Snowball Slams Into College Dorm, Knocks In Wall - 



Two math majors at Reed College lost control of a massive snowball that rolled into a dorm, knocking in part of a bedroom wall.
No one was injured.
The students began making the snowball last week during a rare snowstorm in Portland, Ore.
Nobody weighed the object, but college spokesman Kevin Myers says it was estimated to weigh 800 pounds or more.
The students responsible for the runaway snowball reported the incident and have not been disciplined. Myers says they didn’t intend to cause damage and feel awful about what happened.
A maintenance manager told Reed Magazine it will cost several thousand dollars to repair the building.

Read more - 
http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2014/02/14/800-pound-runaway-snowball-slams-into-college-dorm-knocks-in-wall/